NCT Twickenham and Hounslow District branch have issued the following statement about the potential loss of an increasingly important and well-loved local service:

Regretfully the popular Twickenham Green NCT Breastfeeding drop-in will be closed throughout August 2017 due to a lack of funds.   We sincerely apologise to those families who would have liked to use this service and hope that the closure will only be temporary. 

We will try to keep people updated so please check on the Twickenham NCT branch website if you plan to attend the drop-in from September onwards.

http://www.nct.org.uk/branches/twickenham

The weekly drop-in which is open all year round costs £10,000 to run and receives no government or NCT funding. A local business expressed an interest in funding the drop-in for another year but sadly in the end was not able to help us.  The breastfeeding counsellors and a few dedicated volunteers are actively seeking and applying for grants/sponsorship, but we desperately need financial help to keep this essential service going in the interim. It is currently the only breastfeeding drop-in in Twickenham, and we receive excellent feedback.

If you have benefited from the Twickenham Green breastfeeding drop-in and would like to donate, we have a dedicated 'Just Giving' page. We are very grateful to those who have donated, and all donations already raised will help keep the drop-in open through July.

https://www.justgiving.com/twickenhamgreenbreastfeedingdropin

We are doing all we can but have limited resources in terms of manpower. If you are able to help with grant applications, or wish to make a donation but not via the 'Just Giving' site please contact Liz on Liz_lambourn@hotmail.co.uk.  Please do not send donations directly to NCT as they will not be allocated to support the Twickenham Green drop-in.

A list of alternative sources of breastfeeding support from the NCT and other organisations can be found on the NCT Twickenham website. Click on 'Breastfeeding drop-ins'.

http://www.nct.org.uk/branches/twickenham

Article supplied by Vicky Griffin